Snip

It would be pretty funny if this post was about a vasectomy, right?

It's not.

Archer got his first haircut today. I'm pretty sure Pacey didn't have a haircut for...gosh, I really don't even know how long. I think we just finally buzzed the baby mullet ourselves?? Brighton had her first cut when she was about 18 months old. We did it after we'd moved here to Minnesota and I have a little envelope of clippings they gave me (which I totally thought was gross and unnecessary but man, was she thrilled to pull it out of her keepsake box today to have a look. Worth it).

Archer was blessed with quite the head of hair, and I decided today I'd go ahead with his first cut. I knew the curls would most likely disappear, but they would anyhow (no one in either family has had truly curly hair after babyhood). I sat with him on my lap and, predictably, he was happy as a clam.

And he still looks pretty darn handsome, if I do say so myself.

(I love this baby).

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy weekend to us all.

10 Months

I'd say the time flew by, but in truth it's been a long 10 months. Although I have handled having an infant much better this time around, the fact remains that I am not a baby person. And if you can have this baby and not be a baby person, you REALLY aren't.

He's delightful. He is nearly always happy as long as I am within touching distance. He claps and waves and (hilariously) growls and is starting to sign back to me. For a huge skeptic of baby signing pre-Pacey, I am a strong supporter of it now and there is such a thrill when you see the look on a baby's face the first time they realize they can communicate that way. He is crawling and cruising and into absolutely everything and I have a feeling he's going to be a challenging toddler. I'm biased but I think he's adorable. I feel ok saying that because he sure as heck didn't get his looks from me. He has surprise curls that pop out after his bath and an infectious grin and my lands his eyes are blue.

I have been stretched to my mental and emotional limits this year. A needy baby and a precocious 4/5 year old that thrives on nonstop interaction has really tested me. Most of the time I still don't feel like I'm getting the balance right but my kids are undeniably happy and I suppose that's the most honest measure of all.

I still don't put enough towards myself. I need to prioritize the things that allow me to breathe more freely: quiet time, exercise, time with friends I relate to. The components of my life are so good: strong marriage, happy and healthy kids, beautiful house in a place I'm proud to raise my family. But unless I take care of my own brain I really can't enjoy them to the fullest.

We're on the brink of a new season in a lot of ways. Summer, with its different routine, both more and less restrictive at the same time. Three short months and then five days each week with just me and the baby. That too, will be harder and easier at the same time. A little more quiet time for me, but two kids with two schools and two separate sets of educational needs.

I meant to write about the baby but I guess this is sort of the nature of the third child...caught up in the chaos of the rest of the family. Archer, I love you. I'm so glad we have you. You complete our family in the best possible way.

Five Minute Dump

Ok, I'm giving myself five minutes to write down as many things as I can think of that I haven't blogged about.

- My baby girl turned five on Monday. FIVE. I blinked and she grew up. She's marvelous.

- Archer is almost ten months old and is crawling, pulling up and getting into absolutely everything.

- He does not, however, eat food without gagging and barfing. I am completely mystified by this baby. Anything more than a smooth puree results in barf, after four months of slooowwwllly introducing food. I don't want to be too reactive but I think we are headed for a feeding consult for some suggestions as to how to desensitize him. Babies man.

- He has also still only slept through the night maybe four times. That's all I'll say about that.

- My parents came for a visit. It was fantastic. They are so great with the kids and I'm grateful they can make such an effort to visit since we haven't had the fortitude to fly up to the Last Frontier with three kids. Or even two.

- Chris and I got away for two nights. It was also fantastic. The first time we've had two consecutive nights since Pacey was born. We went to a rustic little cabin on a lake and did not much of anything. Oh, we did visit a bison ranch. Totally romantic.

- We also celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. Holy cow.

- Pacey's almost done with first grade. We watched his musical performance today. He did awesomely amazingly superb. His classmates are so kind to him. I love our school.

- Brighton lost her first tooth and has another one loose. It really threw me. It makes her look so much older and I have that melancholy feeling of having left a place you can never go back to. Unusual for me.

- Pacey starred in a video for the PACER Center which advocates on behalf of children with disabilities and children who are victims of bullying. The video played at their annual fundraising benefit before Diana Ross sang. He was phenomenal. So was she. I'll post a link at some point.

- I see 70s and straight sunshine in our ten day forecast. It can't come soon enough. Easter Sunday was the last nice day that I remember.

- I've already exceeded my five minutes. Time is money. A few more of these and maybe I'll be back on track with blogging. Maybe.